Binaural Effects in Remote Masking

Abstract

The dependence of binaural masked thresholds on the interaural phase relations of both the signal tone and the noise has been demonstrated in previous studies, and has been repeated here for a wide band of noise (200-400 cps). A second experiment was carried out to test whether this dependence extended to the remote masking of low-frequency band of noise (2000-4000 cps). The results indicate that a phase reversal of the tone at the 2 ears has the same effect in remote masking as in ordinary masking; but a phase reversal of the high-frequency band at the 2 ears produces changes in the masked threshold midway between those encountered in Ordinary masking and no change at all. The results are interpreted as indicating that the interaural time relations between the remote-masking sources that result from a phase reversal of the high-frequency band involve a time shift of about one half-period of the band midfrequency and a decrease in the interaural correlation.